January 19, 2013

Tutors, tutors everywhere

One of my favorite pastimes is picking up on telltale signs
of an era or a generation. Like ironically nerdy glasses on hipsters. Or "mom
jeans" on young baby boomers.

And I enjoy the generational tics you can’t see, too, like
millennials’ need for praise that my friends (yes, we’re Gen X’ers – and we
wear our bad-idea tattoos like a badge of honor) like to joke about.

Last month, the New
York Times pointed out a new hallmark of Gen Z (aka "Gen Me") that I think
is going to stick: tutors as a mainstay of a normal education. When I was in
school, I had a tutor to help me learn French – but only because it wasn’t
offered at my school and we were moving to Montreal. Otherwise, tutoring wasn’t
a common affair. When a kid was failing – or at least falling behind – that’s
when tutors were called to the rescue.

Does every child have a tutor now?

Now, though, tutors are much more ubiquitous: every kid
seems to have one. And their parents are grateful that the tutors help keep the
kids on track and their grades up. I didn’t recognize this as a trend, and then…

The article begins with a compelling anecdote about a
college freshman at NYU struggling to juggle life in the city, register for
classes, get books, and the like. There’s no doubt that period of life is
hectic and difficult – and more so for this girl because she’s a student
athlete. But her mom’s reaction surprised me: worried that her daughter was foundering,
she hired a tutor.

But that’s not all; the tutoring persists. "They are in
touch daily by phone or e-mail, and work together in person anywhere from 15 to
22 hours a week."

Tutor, or life coach?

In this case – and in many cases, it seems – the tutor isn’t
just helping with homework or a specific subject. Instead, it’s ongoing support
in all subjects and, "also a source of general life support," Ellin writes.

Ellin quotes Dr. Sandi Ayaz, executive director of the
Florida-based National Tutoring Association, who describes the phenomenon a
different way: today’s tutors are, "more academic coaches," she says. And these
academic coaches start – and may never stop – working with the kids on
schoolwork and other things – like life skills.

One mom said it transferred the role of homework nag to an
outsider, so she could focus on a more nurturing role for her child. One tutor
said he’s like an unofficial counselor.

In some ways this trend shouldn’t come as a surprise; this
generation of kids has become accustomed to helpfully hovering helicopter
parents since day one. Still, isn’t a little angst and confusion when you leave
home for college a normal part of growing up? Should "Gen Me" be spared even
that slight discomfort?

The director of a Manhattan-based tutoring company said that
any stigma with tutoring has all but disappeared. That’s wonderful, but should
we be worried about the flip side: the prevalence of tutoring as an ongoing
practice? Does it make for yet another haves versus have-nots divide in
education?

A 19-year-old student quoted in Ellin’s story said she, "never hid the fact that she had a tutor, partly because 'you were lucky if you
had one.'"

Is your child lucky enough to have a tutor? Is this a trend
you embrace?

Comments

One of my favorite pastimes is picking up on telltale signs
of an era or a generation. Like ironically nerdy glasses on hipsters. Or "mom
jeans" on young baby boomers.

And I enjoy the generational tics you can’t see, too, like
millennials’ need for praise that my friends (yes, we’re Gen X’ers – and we
wear our bad-idea tattoos like a badge of honor) like to joke about.

Last month, the New
York Times pointed out a new hallmark of Gen Z (aka "Gen Me") that I think
is going to stick: tutors as a mainstay of a normal education. When I was in
school, I had a tutor to help me learn French – but only because it wasn’t
offered at my school and we were moving to Montreal. Otherwise, tutoring wasn’t
a common affair. When a kid was failing – or at least falling behind – that’s
when tutors were called to the rescue.

Does every child have a tutor now?

Now, though, tutors are much more ubiquitous: every kid
seems to have one. And their parents are grateful that the tutors help keep the
kids on track and their grades up. I didn’t recognize this as a trend, and then…

The article begins with a compelling anecdote about a
college freshman at NYU struggling to juggle life in the city, register for
classes, get books, and the like. There’s no doubt that period of life is
hectic and difficult – and more so for this girl because she’s a student
athlete. But her mom’s reaction surprised me: worried that her daughter was foundering,
she hired a tutor.

But that’s not all; the tutoring persists. "They are in
touch daily by phone or e-mail, and work together in person anywhere from 15 to
22 hours a week."

Tutor, or life coach?

In this case – and in many cases, it seems – the tutor isn’t
just helping with homework or a specific subject. Instead, it’s ongoing support
in all subjects and, "also a source of general life support," Ellin writes.

Ellin quotes Dr. Sandi Ayaz, executive director of the
Florida-based National Tutoring Association, who describes the phenomenon a
different way: today’s tutors are, "more academic coaches," she says. And these
academic coaches start – and may never stop – working with the kids on
schoolwork and other things – like life skills.

One mom said it transferred the role of homework nag to an
outsider, so she could focus on a more nurturing role for her child. One tutor
said he’s like an unofficial counselor.

In some ways this trend shouldn’t come as a surprise; this
generation of kids has become accustomed to helpfully hovering helicopter
parents since day one. Still, isn’t a little angst and confusion when you leave
home for college a normal part of growing up? Should "Gen Me" be spared even
that slight discomfort?

The director of a Manhattan-based tutoring company said that
any stigma with tutoring has all but disappeared. That’s wonderful, but should
we be worried about the flip side: the prevalence of tutoring as an ongoing
practice? Does it make for yet another haves versus have-nots divide in
education?

A 19-year-old student quoted in Ellin’s story said she, "never hid the fact that she had a tutor, partly because 'you were lucky if you
had one.'"

Is your child lucky enough to have a tutor? Is this a trend
you embrace?